Be Entertained By These Informative Podcasts When You WFH
Check out some of these podcasts that deserve a wider audience
May 2, 2020
It is the golden age of podcasts today. For an outlay of zero dollars a month, users on laptops, iPhones and Android phones can access a wealth of high-quality audio entertainment and information.
Big names, among them talk show hosts Conan O’Brien and Graham Norton, restaurateur David Chang and husband-and-wife comedians Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon have their own podcasts, but this list will stick to lesser-known producers who deserve a wider audience.
The podcasts listed here can be found in the usual Apple and Android apps, as well through streaming services such as Spotify and podcatchers such as iTunes.
The BBC has roughly a bajillion podcasts on tap, but this revolving buffet of delights is a personal favourite. Rising British comedians whose names will likely not ring any bells with Singaporeans (Salma Shah, Tim Key, Ellie Taylor) are given a space to showcase standup and sketches. Not all of it works, but it is clear that hard work has been put in to select guests for their ability to tell jokes in an audio-only format.
2. Judge John Hodgeman
image
Actor and writer John Hodgeman has amassed a fervent following for this podcast and related column in The New York Times. Taking on a personality that is only a slightly exaggerated version of his charmingly pedantic self, he invites combatants to his show to air trivial grievances, such as whether disposable sandwich bags can be washed and reused or whether a wearer of bedroom slippers is allowed to wear them in bed. Hodgeman and co-host Jesse Thorn take the mickey out of the litigants, and they love it.
3. Why Won't You Date Me? with Nicole Byer
image
Nicole Byer is the host of the Netflix baking competition Nailed It!, on which she reveals only a fraction of her madcap energy. On her podcast, she and a guest, usually a comedian, focus on the topic of the title, taking into account her Tinder profile, extroverted personality and larger body shape. The sessions are both funny, often painfully naked and also braver than anything a hundred edgy male podcasters could ever create.
4. Fresh Air
image
Terry Gross, the public radio broadcaster who has helmed this interview show since the 1970s, is an institution. Sometimes, guests, among them actors, politicians and authors become awestruck in her presence. She is at once commanding, warm and well-researched, and does not do puff pieces – guests, including conservative television host Bill O’Reilly have stormed off, mid-interview.
5. Where Should We Begin? With Esther Perel
image
Stuck at home with a partner, and nerves are fraying? Is being under the gaze of a parent all day too much to handle? Psychotherapist Esther Perel takes listeners into her consultation room (with identities of patients obscured, of course). Raised in Belgium, trained in Israel and now based in New York, she counsels couples with qualities not associated with celebrity doctors and therapists: She actually listens, never bullies, nor does she dish out one-size-fits-all “common sense” advice.
6. The Weekly Mix
image
Non-profit broadcaster KEXP, which operates a radio station in Seattle, Washington, produces several excellent music podcasts. The Weekly Mix is like being friends with a gang of people with flawless taste and bottomless record collection. There is no chatter, only quick introductions followed by an hour of non-stop, advertising-free music that leans towards indie rock, R&B and folk from around the world.
ST AND BT PODCASTS
Love listening to podcasts on the go? Find up to 10 podcast series by The Straits Times and Business Times at ST Podcasts or on Spotify, and Apple and Google podcast apps.
A podcast by The Straits Times that examines all the ins and outs of pop culture, be it Asian entertainment or Hollywood. With people spending more time at home because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the #PopVultures round up some of the best and worst celebrity moments on social media.
Was Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot‘s rendition of John Lennon‘s Imagine tone deaf in more ways than one? How did American rapper Cardi B‘s famous “corona-VIRUS” rant enter the Billboard charts? Are British diver Tom Daley‘s shirtless home workouts the thirst trap that everyone needs?
From left: JJ Lin, Cardi B, Tom Daley, Gal Gadot.PHOTO: JFJ PRODUCTIONS, INSTAGRAM & YOUTUBE
Host Jan Lee and Yeo Sam Jo also review some of the online concerts that have sprung up lately – from JJ Lin‘s live birthday fan meet to the iHeart Living Room Concert For America starring the likes of Mariah Carey, the Backstreet Boys and Billie Eilish.
Finally, the #PopVultures recommend some entertainment to combat cabin fever and boredom: From TikTok dance challenges and true crime documentaries like Tiger King to digital drag shows and Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries.
